Friday, December 09, 2016

H.E. Leon Kaulahao Siu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Kingdom of the Hawaiian Islands, and a 2017 Nobel Peace Prize nominee recently returned to Honolulu after a successful trip to Cuba.

He was the only official representative of the Hawaiian Islands in Cuba during the state funeral services.

The purpose of Minister Siu’s trip was to deliver Aloha from the people of the Hawaiian Islands to the citizens of Cuba during the week of former Cuba leader Fidel Castroʻs funeral.

During his stay he also made inquires on behalf of the Hawaiian National Broadcasting Network as well as the Hawaiian National Transitional Authority.

“My visit was to deliver aloha from the people of the Hawaiian Islands to the people of Cuba for the purpose of developing friendly relations for the future,” stated Minister Siu.

“We also took the opportunity to review previous diplomatic communications regarding the situation of the Hawaiian Islands.

“This trip was highly successful in gaining valuable insights and information for potentially building relations between the people of Cuba and the people of Hawaii as well as diplomatic rapport between our two countries,” remarked Foreign Minister Siu.

Since 2008 the Hawaiian Kingdom has been transmitting letters through Cuban diplomats at their foreign missions (UN, US) for their minister of foreign affairs.

Minister Siu, who is also a Koani Foundation director, is one of the 2017 nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Leon Siu was born in 1948 in the Hawaiian Islands. He was educated in the fine arts and is an accomplished composer, musician, artist, educator and diplomat. In 1996 he repatriated to the Hawaiian Kingdom. Since the year 2000, Mr. Siu has served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Ke Aupuni O Hawai`i — the Hawaiian Kingdom — and has traveled extensively in that capacity.

For more information, visit KoaniFoundation.org and HawaiianKingdom.net